A principal component analysis of monitoring and evaluation determinants for construction projects delivery in developing countries

A data reduction technique is adopted to identify the critical determinants of effective monitoring and evaluation in the construction industry. The views of randomly selected construction professionals from Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa were collected through a questionnaire survey. Adopting a quantitative research approach for the study, extant literature was conducted to identify monitoring and evaluation determining factors. Subsequently, a five-point Likert scale was drawn for respondents to rank the factors. A Cronbach's alpha value of 0.953 was achieved based on standardised items. Similarly, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy and Bartlett's test of sphericity was conducted before the data were subjected to principal component analysis. The study provides a new contribution to knowledge by introducing three new variables of uncorrelated determinants that better explain effective monitoring and evaluation. These variables are described as M&E management and human relation, M&E participation and information and M&E implementation and approach. The study, therefore, recommends consideration of these factors by project managers to ensure M&E is effective and delivers successful construction project.